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The 3rd May 2014 marks twenty three years since the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic Media. A free and diverse media is critical to promoting transparency, accountability and the freedom of expression that are vital to a democracy that meets the needs of its people.

This World Press Freedom Day is important for us to observe because much of the South African and African media more generally, are increasingly coming under physical, political and ideological attack and pressure from both governments and powerful corporate interests. The result has been, and continues to be, a gradual loss of organisational and political independence as well as press freedom, made worse by many media outlets succumbing to various forms of censorship. All of this impedes our right to know, and undermines the ability of radio and television, newspapers and magazines, to investigate fearlessly and report independently and in the public interest.

In Africa:

During the year 2013 an estimated total of 65 journalists, editors, publishers or citizen journalists/bloggers were either imprisoned or killed in the exercise of their profession and the practice of their fundamental human right of freedom of speech.
At the birth of our democracy South Africa’s press freedom ranked first in Africa. In the last decade we have fallen to 5th place, 42nd worldwide. There are a number of worrying trends that undermine any cause for celebration:

• Legislation: the Secrecy Bill which, amongst other things, potentially criminalises the press for exposing rampant fraud and corruption under the thin veil of "promoting state security" is ready to be signed by President Jacob Zuma. Despite some improvements as a result of a hard-fought campaign by the Right2Know and others, it remains an insidious attack on investigative journalism, particularly with regard to government. Other laws, too, such as the National Key Points Act and the Protection Against Harassment Act have the potential to seriously obstruct journalists in gathering information.
• We call on President Zuma not to make the Secrecy Bill law. We further demand Parliament to review the National Key Points and Protection Against Harassment Acts.
• Media ownership: our commercial media is dominated by corporate monopolies. In spite of brave resistance by many media professionals, press and media freedom remain under pressure to align reportage according to the political and business interests of its owners instead of serving the broader public interest. The recent removal of the editor of the Cape Times, Alide Dasnois, gives cause for grave concern.

We demand greater media diversity including public investment in public and community media.

• Whistleblowers: these brave people who turn to the media with information that exposes corruption and the abuse of state power and resources by politicians, corporations and unscrupulous individuals face the real risk of being victimised at work, are detained on trumped-up charges and are even killed. Newspapers and broadcasters that carry these stories are threatened with unfounded and expensive legal action as well as the withdrawal of state advertising.

We call for amendments to the Protection of Disclosure Act.

• Harassment of journalists: the incidence of illegal arrests and physical attacks on journalists by the police has increased dramatically over the past 3 years. These journalists face this harassment for doing their jobs, which is to bring stories of community protests, police brutality, corruption and mismanagement to the people. In 2014 freelance photojournalist, Michael Tshele, was murdered by the police in Mothutlung while he was photographing a protest in that community.

We demand justice for Michael Tshele, and we demand from the State the protection of journalists against the illegitimate use of force and violence.

• Public broadcasting: our public broadcaster, the SABC, is increasingly becoming a mouthpiece of the state and ruling party; wilfully underplaying the state’s illegitimate use of violence against the people of this country, censoring programming that asks why our public representatives have failed us and wilfully misinterpreting its editorial policies and regulations to silence opposition parties and the public from airing their grievances and opinions. Meanwhile, top bosses at the SABC get away with corruption: action has yet to be taken on the Public Protector’s report which found SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng and others guilty of the abuse of power and maladministration. And we are told that we need 70% good news because South Africa only has a “good story to tell." We demand independent public broadcasting and the full and urgent implementation of the recommendations in the Public Protector’s report.

Instead of opening up the airwaves and promoting the free flow of information that enables us to hold our government and each other accountable, the state, capital and other powerful interests continue to chip away at the freedom and independence of our newspapers, our magazines, our radio and television stations, and to promote a press that is uncontroversial, and subservient.

On 2 May 2014, the day before the 23rd annual observation of World Press Freedom Day, we remind ourselves why we must continue to fight and rededicate ourselves to press freedom. Without press freedom there can be no information, without information there can be no accountability, and without accountability there can be no democracy.
JOIN THE FIGHT FOR PRESS FREEDOM AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION